


Going Up

by isisflamedancer19873



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 05:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13991685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isisflamedancer19873/pseuds/isisflamedancer19873
Summary: Every morning you ride with Ignis on the elevator. Falling for him is inevitable, but it’s hard to keep your weight a secret from the Royal Adviser who lost his sight.





	Going Up

**Author's Note:**

> Bullying, low self-esteem, and self-doubt.

When you first met Ignis Scientia, it had been two years since the light had been restored. You had taken up a job at the citadel, doing paperwork to approve the reconstruction plans. Meeting him had been an accident. He was heading to the throne room to meet with King Noctis and you happened to be in the elevator with him, taking some papers to the floor above the throne room. He wore his Kingsglaive outfit, his boots clicking on the floor, and a visor that covered most of the scars on his face.

“Good morning.” He greeted despite you having not said a word. It was no secret he had lost his sight in the battle with the Hydraean although how he lost it remained a mystery.

“G-Good morning.” Came your stammered greeting causing him to smile. And that was how it started. At first it was just casual greetings, a quick hello before riding the rest of the way in silence. After a couple elevator rides, however, he began making small talk. It started with him asking how your day was going, before finally he formally introduced himself and you to him.

As each day passed, you realized you were looking forward to these elevator rides more and more. The more you learned about him, the more you looked forward to seeing him. Ignis was the only one who couldn’t judge by what he saw. But that was also the reason you kept physical contact to a minimum. Being overweight for most of your life had given you very low self-esteem and you couldn’t help but think that if Ignis knew you were overweight, he would despise you. It wouldn’t be hard for him to pull strings to get you either fired or send you elsewhere.

Currently, you were getting all the paperwork needed to go to the tenth floor, as you did every morning. Your heart was pounding wildly at the thought of getting to see Ignis again. The rational part of your mind told you not to get involved, to not let your heart run rampant. It kept reminding you that there was no way someone like you would be attractive to Ignis Scientia. But your heart wouldn’t listen. Making your way to the elevator, you heard your name being mentioned. Pausing, you listened intently to the conversation.

“(Y/N)? Oh, you mean the newbie?” Came a female voice.

“Yeah, the fat one. Ugh, they couldn’t find anyone fit so they hired that fat piece of garbage.” Your blood ran cold as you heard them talking about you.

“I swear they were out of breath just by running to the printer!” Someone laughed.

“If they are in a relationship, I’ll be shocked. Just hope they don’t get crushed!” Laughter echoed from the breakroom and it took all you had not to let out a sob as you walked away, unable to listen to anymore. You ran to the bathroom, leaving the papers on the counter as all their words echoed in your mind.

But what hurt the most was they were right. You thought of Ignis and knew if he found out about your size, he would be disgusted too. Silently, you cried in the bathroom stall, your sniffs the only sound. You had missed the ride with Ignis, would he notice? You were sure he would but if he cared would be another thing. As you tried to get yourself under control, you wondered if his kindness was just that. Just a front to get through the elevator rides with you.

After a few more minutes, you composed yourself, removed any evidence of crying, picked up your paperwork, and went to the elevator. Just as you pressed the button to go up, the elevator dinged, the doors opened and there was Ignis.

“Ignis.” You said before you could stop yourself. He had just been about to leave the elevator when he heard you. Why was he here? Didn’t he have an audience with the King?

“Good morning, going up?” He asked, his arm doing a sweeping gesture with his arm.

“Y-Yes, thank you.” You stammered, getting onto the elevator. It took him a moment, but he pressed the button leading to the throne room, then your floor. The doors closed and silence filled the small space.

“Running late this morning?” He asked.

“Yeah, just a little.” You answered. He had thrown you off guard. Silence resumed between the two of you as you tried to think of something to say.

“Is something the matter?” He asked, making you look up at him. His brow was furrowed with concern, his full body turned towards you. The last thing you wanted was for him to find out why you were late and you hadn’t expected him to be waiting on the elevator when you got on.

“No, not at all, just surprised is all.” It wasn’t far from the truth, but why had he been on the elevator? Usually he was the one getting on and you waited for him.

“Did you need that floor?” You asked, looking over at him. Ignis’s cheeks turned slightly pink and he tilted his head down. He was blushing?

“I actually came to check on you. When you weren’t here, I was a bit concerned. I have really come to enjoy our morning talks and was wondering if you wanted to join me after work for dinner?” Ignis asked. Your heart leapt into your throat at his words. He enjoyed your company? It was almost too much to believe.

“I hope I didn’t offend.” Ignis said making you realize you had been too stunned to say anything for quite some time.

“No! No, I would love to!” You quickly recovered, making him smile. It wasn’t his mischievous smile, or his kind one, but one of genuine joy. He was happy to spend the evening with you.

“Great. I will meet you in the lobby after work then.” He said as the elevator dinged, signaling his floor.

“See you then.” You replied as he stepped off. The doors closed after he gave you a smile and a wave. As you reveled in the prospective date, you couldn’t help but worry about him finding out you were overweight.

Through the rest of your shift, you were both looking forward and dreading the coming evening. You were so preoccupied with your worries, that when your clock hit five, you wondered where the day had gone. Packing up your belongings, you made your way to the elevator, ignoring anything your coworkers were saying. The ride down was nerve-wracking, but you couldn’t stop the smile that spread across your face at the thought of having dinner with Ignis. The elevator dinged and everyone filed out, your eyes scanning the lobby for Ignis. You half expected him to be waiting for you, but he was nowhere in sight. Maybe he was running late?

Moving off to the side of the room, you watched and waited. With each ding of the elevator, your heart would leap into your throat, but slowly it would sink back down as Ignis didn’t appear. Maybe this was a joke? What if he was like all the rest? Just when you were feeling your heart ache, a single rose appeared in your view.

“Apologies for being late, darling.” Came the silky-smooth voice you had come to know and love. You looked up and saw the carrier of the rose was Ignis, making you smile.

“It’s okay, thank you.” You replied, taking the rose. He held his arm out to you, a faint smirk on his lips.

“Shall we?” He asked, making you blush. Taking his arm, you followed him outside the citadel, careful not to let him feel your sides. Another thought struck you, making you look up at the Royal Advisor.

“How did you know I was there?” You asked and he gave you a sly grin.

“You’ve heard that when one sense goes, the others heighten to make up for it?” He asked.

“Yes.” He blushed and hesitated with his answer.

“I could smell the shampoo you use. I’ve…I’ve really grown fond of the scent.” He answered. Now it was your turn to blush.

“Oh. Well it’s good to know I don’t smell bad.” Your reply made him laugh and your heart fluttered wildly in your chest at the sound.

“No, it is a pleasant smell.” He replied. You two fell into comfortable silence as you walked and just as you were wondering where you were going, Ignis spoke up.

“I do not live far from the citadel.” He said as though reading your thoughts.

“I was just wondering what you had planned.” You looked up at him and he smiled. His smile faded as he tilted his head towards something. Before you could ask him what was wrong, his arms wrapped around you and pulled you close to him just as a cyclist rode past, not even shouting an apology. Glaring at the cyclist who had almost run you over, you didn’t notice at first that you were in Ignis’s arms. When you did, you felt your face grow hot as a blush crept across your cheeks.

“Are you alright, darling? Are you hurt?” He asked. Did he realize you were overweight? Had it not sunk in yet? Surely, he could tell by now. The façade was over.

“No, I-I’m fine.” You answered and a smile formed on his face.

“Thank goodness. Shall we continue?” He asked. Your heart was pounding hard in your chest. Didn’t he realize? Had he been so preoccupied with protecting you, he hadn’t felt your curvy, thick waist? You wanted answers, but didn’t want to bring it up if he hadn’t noticed.

“Y-Yeah, lead the way.” You said, pulling away to take his arm again. Ignis led you the rest of the way to his apartment complex.

Another elevator ride took you to the third floor where he lived in a small apartment facing the citadel. His apartment was simply furnished, a black leather sofa faced a mounted TV, a mahogany coffee table in front of it. On the wall were photographs of his friends and the King, each frame had words carved into them so Ignis could run his fingers over them and remember what photo was which. His dining room was a small mahogany table with four matching chairs around it. Separating the kitchen and the dining room was a counter with three stools on one side.

Ignis motioned for you to have a seat in one of the stools as he began making dinner. The whole way he hadn’t said anything about your weight, making you wonder if you had dodged a bullet or if he was just being kind and not mentioning it. You watched him cook, amazed at how much passion he put into his cooking.

“Do you need any help?” You asked.

“I’m alright, darling, thank you. Besides I would like to treat you.” He answered, making you blush. Watching him cook, you thought back to what you heard your coworkers say. You tried to push it to the back of your mind, but it continued to flood back, making your heart feel heavy.

“Something on your mind, darling?” He asked as he stirred the food.

“No, just thinking about my day.” You answered. Ignis nodded as he worked.

“Do you wish to talk about it?” He asked gently.

“How did you know it was bad?” You asked and he gave you a kind smile.

“You are unusually quiet. When you and I spoke on the elevator the past few weeks, you were always cheerful. I could hear it in your voice. But since I found you earlier, your voice seems lower, the cheerfulness is gone. I thought at first it was at being late, but I suspect it’s something more than that.” Ignis answered. He had heard all that from your voice? How could you tell him what happened? How could you tell him about people you work with talking about you behind your back? How could you tell him that they were talking about how fat you were and that you were garbage?

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wish to, but I would like to know how I can help. It pains me to not hear that joy in your voice.” You couldn’t believe your ears at his words. He genuinely cared about your wellbeing. You sighed, looking down at the countertop.

“I overheard some of my coworkers talking about me today. They were saying some things that…weren’t so good.” You answered. Ignis had stopped stirring and turned his head towards you. He set the pot to simmer before turning back to you.

“I shouldn’t bother you with this. I know you are only being nice. You shouldn’t have to force yourself to be around me, Ignis.” You said. You had tried to not let your insecurities get to you, but the pain you were feeling, the pain you had felt all day, was too much to bear. Ignis was by your side quicker than you could blink. Gently, he cupped your face in his hands, making you look up at him.

“I’m not forcing myself. I truly enjoy your company. When you weren’t there this morning, I felt alone. I hadn’t felt that way since I lost my sight. I want to make this better. I want to hear the joy in your voice again.” He said, sincerely.

“Ignis…I really like you. I really enjoy talking to you in the mornings, but there’s something you need to know about me.” You said softly. You had to tell him. He would find out sooner or later, may as well be now.

“Tell me.” He said gently. His hands moving to take yours. Your fingers felt his gloved ones, the fabric soft on your skin.

“I’m overweight. That’s what my coworkers were making fun of me for. I’m sure before you lost your sight, you had a type of person you were attracted to.” You said, tears welling up in your eyes as you waited for his response.

“I’ve known you were overweight for a couple weeks now. That one day when you got off the elevator and I had to go to a different floor, I could hear it in your footsteps. I felt the car moving. But none of that mattered to me. As for the type of person I’m attracted to, I’m not attracted to body type. I’m attracted to their mind and the beauty of their soul. I’m attracted to your soul. What you look like, is irrelevant. If I were attracted to looks, I would be quite hypocritical. I know my scars are hard to look at and harder to miss. I know my blindness is difficult for some to deal with. But you weren’t scared of my scars and I could tell you were genuinely happy to see me. You don’t have to worry about my thoughts on you, darling, I think you are perfect just the way you are.” He said gently. The tears in your eyes rolled down your cheeks at his words.

“And you are perfect to me.” You whispered. Ignis placed a gentle kiss on your lips. His hands squeezed yours, making your heart throb painfully in your chest. Now that everything was out in the open, you felt relief flood through you. Ignis knew about your weight and didn’t care. The next week at work, Ignis surprised you with roses each day. After a month of the two of you dating, you felt confident and beautiful despite your weight. Ignis constantly praised you and treated you like a goddess. After gathering up the courage, you went up to the coworker who had made fun of you and gave him a deadly smile.

“By the way, I am in a relationship and he likes being crushed.” Was all you said before walking away, leaving him to choke on his coffee.


End file.
